At Plastica, we have always had environmental causes at heart. This is why we reuse our plastic scraps as much as possible, thus limiting industrial waste. We also offer several recycled materials such as ABS, PETG, UHMW and HDPE. Acrylic (commonly called plexiglass) is one of the most popular materials at Plastica. It is with great pride that we now offer it made 100% from recycled material.
In the past year, the pandemic has caused an important consumption of acrylic sneeze guards. Therefore, the recovery of the polymer (component of polycarbonate and acrylic) has been put forward. Though in Quebec City are recovery options are limited, several companies have raised their hands to support the resale of plastics still in good condition or for granulation. Polymer-based plastics cannot be found in our blue bins for the moment, but Recyc-Québec is currently looking into this.
Recycled plexiglass is made from offcuts or production waste. The scrap is sorted, re-granulated and heated to high temperatures to allow the production of new sheets. Recovery is done by dividing the components of the material through depolymerization. The process can be done over and over again. Currently, plexiglass is not recycled in Quebec. This is why recycled acrylics are manufactured internationally.
Just like standard virgin acrylic, recycled acrylic can be cut on a table saw, digitally cut, laser cut, bent, printed and glued. Recycled plexiglass is as durable and as the high-end quality material we usually know.
At Plastica, we control our ecological footprint as much as possible. It is by offering recycled materials and limiting our waste that we can achieve this. Let's hope that in the near future, our sorting (or recycling) centers will adapt to the recovery of all types of plastic material.
For more information, please contact us!